Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45
तेषु तीर्थेषु सर्वेषु धर्महेतुः सरस्वती । रुद्रावतार मार्गेऽस्मिन्प्रवरं प्रथमं स्मृतम्
teṣu tīrtheṣu sarveṣu dharmahetuḥ sarasvatī | rudrāvatāra mārge'sminpravaraṃ prathamaṃ smṛtam
அந்த எல்லாத் தீர்த்தங்களிலும் சரஸ்வதியே தர்மத்தின் காரணம். ருத்ர அவதாரங்களின் இம்மார்க்கத்தில் அவள் முதன்மையும் முதலாவதுமாக நினைக்கப்படுகிறாள்.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)
Tirtha: Sarasvatī (Suprabhā) as prathama tīrtha on Rudrāvatāra-mārga
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim-path is envisioned where Rudra’s manifestations are honored; at its head stands Sarasvatī, serene and foremost, as the cause of dharma.
FAQs
Dharma is sustained through tīrtha-sevā; Sarasvatī is praised as a foundational power that nurtures righteous living.
Sarasvatī-tīrtha as the foremost tīrtha within the network of sacred places along the Rudrāvatāra-mārga.
No explicit prescription is stated; the verse establishes Sarasvatī’s primacy for pilgrimage and worship.